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Dreddout posted:My understanding is a lot of it has to do with the fall of the Warsaw Pact. After all, Social Democracy was an ideology created to provide an alternative to a socialist revolution. During the cold war it was used as a salve for wartorn Europe who had to contend with the expansionist eastern bloc. After things had stabilized in Europe the welfare programs were gradually stripped away, and with the fall of communism the liberal powers didn't have any reason to keep them around. This is my very basic understanding of it. Workers rights that we take for granted like the 40 hour work week, minimum wage, weekends and so forth came after decades of violent clashes in the early 20th century. Workers were treated little better than slaves. Attempts to organize were met with beatings or outright murder from bosses and police. There were massive and bloody strikes that led to workers being granted rights. The western welfare state as we know it came about after WW2. Europe was a broken place. The USSR effectively controlled half of it already. Communists were among the few credible political groups that weren't tainted by fascism. The question was of keeping the populace fed and at work or of facing outright revolution against the frail governments of the time. If anyone would like to comment or challenge or add to this account, I'd like that. I've only recently been learning about this sort of thing. This is (so far) a surprisingly constructive and civil thread.
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Jan 20, 2017 21:16
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